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Tag: mike turner (ohio politician)

  • Top House Republicans call on Biden to increase military support for Ukraine | CNN Politics

    Top House Republicans call on Biden to increase military support for Ukraine | CNN Politics

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    Washington
    CNN
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    Two leading House Republicans have called on President Joe Biden to increase military support to Ukraine in its defense against Russia’s invasion and reiterated support on both sides of the aisle for continuing to fund the Ukrainian war effort.

    Texas Rep. Mike McCaul, the chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, told CNN’s Pamela Brown on “State of the Union” in a joint interview with House Intelligence Chairman Mike Turner that aired Sunday that bipartisan support for Ukraine is “still very strong.”

    But as the one-year anniversary of the war approaches, McCaul warned that hedging support for Ukraine could prolong the conflict, which could play into Russia’s advantages and allow anti-Ukraine dissent to build.

    “The longer (Biden administration officials) drag this out, they play into (Russian leader Vladimir) Putin’s hands. He wants this to be a long, protracted war because he knows that potentially, he will lose – we could lose the will of the American people and therefore the Congress,” the Texas Republican told CNN, speaking from the Munich Security Conference in Germany.

    The US and its allies have already sent nearly $50 billion in aid and equipment to Ukraine’s military over the past year. To keep that up, and to rebuild its own stockpiles, the Pentagon is racing to re-arm, embarking on the biggest increase in ammunition production in decades and putting portions of the US defense industry on a war-footing despite America technically not being at war.

    Asked by Brown if he believes the US is considering sending F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine, McCaul replied, “I hope so,” and reiterated his concern over a drawn-out conflict between Russia and Ukraine while noting, “I think the momentum is building for this to happen.”

    “The fact is, the longer they wait, the longer this conflict will prevail,” McCaul said.

    US Sen. Lindsey Graham echoed that message, telling ABC in an interview that aired Sunday that US lawmakers attending the Munich Security Conference were in “virtually unanimous belief” that the US should begin training Ukrainian pilots on F-16 fighter jets.

    “I believe a decision will be imminent when we get back to Washington, that the administration will start training Ukrainian pilots on the F-16. They need the weapons system,” Graham said.

    Asked by CNN whether the Biden administration has ruled out sending F-16s to Ukraine, Linda Thomas-Greenfield, the US ambassador to the United Nations, said officials were “working very closely and directly with the Ukrainians on identifying what their needs are and when they need them.”

    “We’re also working to ensure that they have the training and the capacity to use whatever weapon systems we provide for them. So, this discussion is continuing,” she said in a separate interview on “State of the Union.”

    Turner, an Ohio Republican, defended congressional support for Ukraine despite several of his fellow House GOP colleagues co-signing a “Ukraine Fatigue” resolution calling for the US to end military and financial aid to the country. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy told CNN last week he opposes the resolution.

    Turner equated the resolution to a letter more than two dozen progressive House Democrats sent the White House last fall, asking it to pursue diplomacy between Russia and Ukraine. The letter was retracted shortly after.

    “You have a handful on both sides, both sides, Pamela, who have been cautious or who have said that they don’t support, or they want support to come to an end,” he said from Munich. “There are 435 members of Congress. There are probably 400 that are for continuing this direction and this path.”

    McCaul also told CNN that the suspected Chinese surveillance balloon that flew over US airspace before being shot down off the coast of South Carolina earlier this month contained parts manufactured in the United States and urged the US to restrict the flow of weapons technology to China.

    “This balloon, by the way, had a lot of American parts in it. We know that the hypersonic missile that went around the world with precision was built on the backbone of American technology,” McCaul said, referring to Beijing’s test of a nuclear-capable hypersonic missile in 2021.

    “They steal a lot of this from us. But we don’t have to sell them the very technology they can put in their advanced weapons systems to then turn against either Taiwan in the Pacific or eventually, possibly the United States of America. I think there’s great bipartisanship on this issue,” he added.

    Turner and McCaul also said they want to see Biden take a more serious position toward China following the a balloon incident.

    McCaul said that the tension between the two countries “is very high right now” and that both Democrats and Republicans are aligned in wanting to confront Chinese threats.

    “I think we have a unique opportunity to be bipartisan on this issue of national security against one of the greatest threats to this country, and the world, for that matter,” McCaul said.

    Turner, meanwhile, said there is an opportunity for the Biden administration to “get back to a normal dialogue with China.”

    “No one, of course, wants a cold war, but that isn’t the issue. What we want is a China that is not going to be an aggressor state, that’s not going to be building up its military and threatening the United States, and certainly not making the negative comments that it’s making instead of just openly apologizing for sending a spy balloon over our most sensitive military sites,” Turner said.

    Adding to the tension between Washington and Beijing, the US has recently begun seeing “disturbing” trendlines in China’s support for Russia’s military, and there are signs that Beijing wants to “creep up to the line” of providing lethal military aid to Russia without getting caught, US officials familiar with the intelligence told CNN.

    The officials would not describe in detail what intelligence the US has seen suggesting a recent shift in China’s posture, but said US officials have been concerned enough that they have shared the intelligence with allies and partners at the Munich Security Conference over the last several days.

    “The most catastrophic thing that could happen to US-China relationship, in my opinion, is for China to give lethal weapons to (Russian leader Vladimir) Putin and his crime against humanity,” Graham told ABC.

    “If you jump on the Putin train now, you’re dumber than dirt. It would be like buying a ticket on the Titanic after you saw the movie. Don’t do this,” he said.

    This story has been updated with additional information.

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  • House Intelligence chair says he prefers ‘trigger-happy’ approach with unidentified objects | CNN Politics

    House Intelligence chair says he prefers ‘trigger-happy’ approach with unidentified objects | CNN Politics

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    Washington
    CNN
     — 

    House Intelligence Committee Chairman Mike Turner said Sunday he prefers how the US shot down unidentified objects over North American airspace in recent days to allowing them to traverse the country.

    A US fighter jet shot down an unidentified object over northern Canada on Saturday, marking the third time in a week that the US military has taken down objects in North American airspace. On Friday, an unidentified object was shot down in Alaska airspace by a US F-22, and a Chinese surveillance balloon was taken down by F-22s off the coast of South Carolina last weekend.a.

    “I would prefer them to be trigger-happy than to be permissive, but we’re going to have to see whether or not this is just the administration trying to change headlines,” Turner, an Ohio Republican, said of the Biden administration in an interview with CNN’s Jake Tapper on “State of the Union.”

    “What I think this shows, which is probably more important to our policy discussion here, is that we really have to declare that we’re going to defend our airspace. And then we need to invest,” added Turner. “This shows some of the problems and gaps that we have. We need to fill those as soon as possible because we certainly now ascertain there is a threat.”

    There’s no indication at this point that the unidentified objects have any connection to China’s surveillance balloon but it seems that national security officials across the continent remain on edge. Airspace was briefly closed over Montana before being reopened on Saturday evening after a radar anomaly prompted a jet to investigate before the all-clear was given.

    Turner said Sunday that there is some frustration among lawmakers over the lack of timely briefings from the Biden administration.

    “This is particularly annoying about this administration. The Biden administration needs to stop briefing Congress through our television sets and actually come and sit down and brief us,” he said. “I do think that there needs to be more engagement between the administration and Congress.”

    Senior Biden officials faced pointed questions last week on Capitol Hill from lawmakers in public hearings and classified briefings as Congress demands more information about why the suspected spy balloon wasn’t shot down sooner.

    “It’s certainly a new, recent development that you have China being so aggressive in entering other countries’ airspace and doing so for clear intentions to spy with very sophisticated equipment. I mean, the very scale of this balloon and the technology that was deployed by China in spying on the United States is unprecedented,” Turner said Sunday.

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  • House Intel leaders, on Middle East trip, say countries seek stronger US role to counter China | CNN Politics

    House Intel leaders, on Middle East trip, say countries seek stronger US role to counter China | CNN Politics

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    CNN
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    The leaders of the House Intelligence Committee, who are on a congressional trip to the Middle East, say countries in the region are seeking an increased role for the United States to counter the growing influence of China.

    House Intelligence Chairman Mike Turner, an Ohio Republican, and ranking Democrat Jim Himes of Connecticut spoke to CNN’s Jake Tapper on “State of the Union” in a joint interview that aired Sunday as the pair were in Israel, as part of a visit that also took them to Jordan and Egypt.

    “They did all cite … China’s increased influence in the area as a need for the United States to step up its influence,” Turner said. “So everyone is watching this very closely and seeing this as an opportunity for the United States to not only play a greater role for security but also a greater role in keeping China at bay.”

    Himes concurred, saying the three countries “view the US alliance as indispensable.”

    China’s growing role in the Middle East of late has alarmed Washington. In March, Beijing mediated a landmark agreement between archfoes Iran and Saudi Arabia that could help significantly ease regional tensions. Saudi Arabia’s relationship with the US has become strained in recent years, while China’s standing has risen.

    House Speaker Kevin McCarthy cautioned Israel in a speech before the Knesset last week to be wary of Chinese investment in the country.

    “While the [Chinese Communist Party] may disguise itself as promoters of innovation, and, true, they act like seeds, we must not allow them to steal our technology,” the California Republican said.

    Analysts, however, have said that the Middle East is unlikely to become an arena for the US-Chinese rivalry, given Beijing’s economy-oriented focus and its aversion to playing regional politics.

    Washington and Beijing have had tumultuous relations over the past year. Tensions soared following a visit to Taiwan last summer by then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, a California Democrat, and after a Chinese surveillance balloon traversed the US, leading US Secretary of State Antony Blinken to call off a planned visit to China.

    US Ambassador to China Nicholas Burns said last week that the United States was “ready to talk” to China and expressed hope that Beijing would “meet us halfway on this.”

    In his interview with Tapper, Turner declined to comment on the domestic turmoil over Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s proposed judicial overhaul, saying, “Our focus, largely, being from the Intelligence Committee, were on the relations between the United States and Israel and how we can help strengthen the security situation in the area.”

    Iran remains a concern for Netanyahu, both Intelligence leaders said.

    “With Iran so brutally abusing its own people, I think the prospect for negotiation is arguably further away than ever before,” Himes said when asked about Iran’s nuclear program. “We’re in a little bit of a fix right now because we don’t have a lot of leverage.”

    Turner said Netanyahu had made clear in their meeting that he thinks Iran can be deterred.

    “If they do believe that there will be military action against them, a surgical-type strike that would diminish their ability to pursue nuclear weapons, that that could have a chilling effect and could stall their programming. And he doesn’t want that opportunity to be missed,” the Ohio Republican said.

    Efforts to try to restore the Iran nuclear agreement remain halted, and Tehran continues to breach the restrictions set out by the deal.

    A top US Defense official warned earlier this year that Iran’s ability to build a nuclear bomb was accelerating. The United Nations’ nuclear watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency, has reported that uranium particles enriched to near bomb-grade levels were found in January at an Iranian nuclear facility.

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  • Trump should not be trusted with national secrets if charges prove true, his ex-Defense secretary says | CNN Politics

    Trump should not be trusted with national secrets if charges prove true, his ex-Defense secretary says | CNN Politics

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    CNN
     — 

    Donald Trump’s onetime Defense secretary said Sunday that the former president should not be trusted with the nation’s secrets again should the allegations made in his federal indictment over his handling of classified documents prove true.

    “Based on his actions – again, if proven true – under the indictment by the special counsel, no,” Mark Esper told CNN’s Jake Tapper on “State of the Union.”

    “It’s just irresponsible action that places our service members at risk, places our nation security risk. You cannot have these documents floating around. They need to be secured,” he said.

    Trump has pleaded not guilty to 37 federal charges, including 31 counts of “willful retention of national defense information.” The former president denies any wrongdoing.

    Esper’s critical remarks about his onetime boss follow damning language by another high-profile Trump administration official – former Attorney General Bill Barr – who said last week that Trump was “toast” if even half of the details in his indictment were true.

    “The revelations are very troubling, disturbing,” Esper said Sunday when asked by Tapper if Trump’s actions put America’s national security at risk. “Yes, I do. If the allegations are true that it contained information about our nation’s security, about our vulnerabilities, about other items, it could be quite harmful to the nation. And, look, no one is above the law. And so I think this process needs to play out and people held to account, the president held to account.”

    Trump fired Esper as his Defense secretary in November 2020, shortly after Joe Biden was projected as the winner of the presidential election.

    Meanwhile, in a separate interview on “State of the Union,” House Intelligence Chairman Mike Turner said he was “not going to defend the behavior” listed in the indictment against Trump but the government would need to prove its case as the legal process moves forward.

    The Ohio Republican also said he had “grave concern” about the way documents were stored not just as it pertained to Trump but to Biden as well. A separate special counsel is leading an investigation into Obama-era classified documents found at Biden’s home and former private office.

    ‘Grave concern’: GOP House Intel Chair on classified Trump docs – full interview

    “The chair and ranking (member) of both the House Intel and Senate Intel (committees) have seen some of the documents, both from the Biden cache and the Trump documents itself. And I can tell you that, from having looked at both of those documents, I have grave concern about both of those type of documents being out in an unsecured place,” Turner said. “Both of them included details of national security issues that should not have been outside of a controlled environment.”

    Turner also previewed a closed-door meeting Tuesday his committee will be holding with John Durham, the special counsel who concluded in a report released last month that the FBI should never have launched a full investigation into connections between Trump’s campaign and Russia during the 2016 election.

    “We’re pulling him in to our committee to say, ‘OK, now that we have seen that there were abuses, that this was wrong, and that there are problems with (the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act) itself, what are the recommendations that you think we should pursue?’” Turner said.

    Durham is expected to testify publicly before the House Judiciary Committee on Wednesday.

    His 300-plus page report states that the FBI used “raw, unanalyzed, and uncorroborated intelligence” to launch its Trump-Russia investigation but used a different standard when weighing concerns about alleged election interference regarding Hillary Clinton’s campaign.

    Durham, however, did not recommend any new charges against individuals or “wholesale changes” about how the FBI handles politically charged investigations, despite strongly criticizing the agency’s behavior.

    This report has been updated with additional details.

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